Scouting the Spartans Michigan State netted a victory on Sunday afternoon against Cincinnati, 5-2, at Old College Field on the MSU campus. MSU’s record improved to 5-6-3 overall, while Cincinnati fell to 5-8 overall.

In her second game back after missing two contests with an ankle injury, senior Jessica Moorman scored her second career hat trick. Moorman put the Spartans on the board first at 11:49, again at 62:12, and she scored the game-winning goal at 63:52 with an assist by senior Melissa Jannetta.

“We had chances and we took advantage of them,” said Michigan State head coach Tom Saxton. “It feels good to be able to capitalize on our opportunities.”

The Spartans are led in scoring by Moorman, who’s amassed five goals and one assist for 11 points.

Goalkeeper Sara Kloosterman is in second place in the Big Ten for goalkeeping statistics. Kloosterman carries 73 saves and a goal against average of 0.77. She is also third in the Big Ten for shutouts (5).

Series History OSU leads the all-time series, 3-2-0, over the Spartans, winning the last three contests at home.

Last season, the Buckeyes dropped the Spartans with less than two minutes remaining in the match. Former Buckeye Becky Borchers netted the game-winning goal, boosting OSU to a 2-1 victory over MSU.

MSU’s only goal came from junior Kim Van Cleef. Van Cleef struck the loose ball and Buckeye goalkeeper Amber Barnes at the same time. The collision knocked both players to the ground and the ball into the net.

Last Week’s Action Ohio State dropped its second-straight game to Iowa, 2-0, Sunday afternoon at the Hawkeye Recreation Field. Iowa opened scoring in the 29th minute when Jennifer Hyngstrom served a corner kick and Sarah Lynch headed the ball past OSU goalkeeper, Amber Barnes. The Hawkeyes put the game away as Chrissy Howard eased a 12-yard shot into the upper left corner of the net in the 49th minute. On Friday evening, Ohio State’s four-game winning streak was stopped by Illinois, 5-2, at the UI Soccer Field.

Kelly Buszkiewicz countered with a chip shot over the head of Amber Barnes in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, Illini Hollie Schurr shot from within the box allowing the ball to sneak between Barnes’ legs, giving Illinois a 3-0 lead at half time.

OSU shifted the momentum in the second half, as Courtney Nein headed the ball into the net, off a corner kick from Elisa Hamilton at the 54 minute mark. The Buckeyes wasted little time as Katy Traeger fired a shot in the 56th minute, off an assist from Lindsay Eckles. Illinois sophomore Emily Brown fired two shots into the Buckeye goal to seize the 5-2 win.

What’s Next? On Sun. Oct. 17, Northwestern returns to try and post a win for the Wildcats. NU trails in the series, 2-3, losing in Columbus last season, 1-0.

The Buckeyes end the Big Ten season against Penn State. Penn State leads the all-time series 4-2. The last meeting between the two teams was the final round of the Big Ten Championship. The No. 1 seeded Lady Lions shutout seventh-seed OSU, 2-0, earning a berth into the NCAA Championship.

On Oct. 27, OSU travels to Bowling Green, Ohio to face the Falcons in a Big Ten/ Mid-America Conference match. The Buckeyes lead the series with one win over BGSU.